Discovering the Lost Tower of Sirkip | Ancient Ruins in Turpan, China

Рет қаралды 3,944

Күн бұрын

Early explorers wrote about the Tower of Sirkip, a Buddhist stupa that dates back to the 5th century...and it mysteriously disappeared. In this modern-day Indiana Jones tale, explore the back country of Xinjiang's oasis town of Turpan in search of towers even some of the local Uyghur don't know exist!
▶ Read more about this discovery here: www.farwestchina.com/travel/x...
▶ Planning to travel to western China? www.xjtravelguide.com
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Video Timestamps
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0:00 - Is Discovery Dead?
0:55 - Traveling to Turpan, China
2:57 - Searching the Village of Sirkip
3:50 - Finding the Tower of Sirkip!
4:48 - The story of the Uyghur Man
6:23 - Finding the Taizang Buddhist Stupa
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For centuries, the area now known as "Xinjiang" in China's westernmost region, was home to many paths of the Silk Road. Merchants and travelers would pass through oasis towns such as Turpan (吐鲁番) and bring with them silks, medicines and even religion.
Ancient cities, Buddhist caves and many more relics of the past have survived the centuries since the Silk Road was an active trade route. Most of these places are documented in various history books and travel guides for tourists to visit.
But have they discovered everything?
Most of us have come to believe that everything in the world has already been discovered - long lost treasure or ancient ruins are stuff made for the movies.
In this tale of two towers, Josh from FarWestChina challenges this belief by going in search of two Buddhist towers which have vanished from recent memory - by by the world and even the local population.
Leaving from his home in the capital of Urumqi, Josh travels by train to the small town of Turpan, drives hours into the small surrounding villages and meets some amazing Uyghur locals. Armed with a few photos taken by explorer Aurel Stein in the 1930's, he comes to find that time has a way of causing some historical relics to vanish while others stay standing.
It's a discovery that no other foreigner has made...until now!
This is what makes Xinjiang such an exciting place to explore. You never know what you'll find!

Пікірлер: 141

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you for joining me on this adventure in remote western China! If you enjoyed, please give the video a thumbs up and leave a comment with your feedback. And as always, please subscribe to FarWestChina! kzfaq.info

@cultureatz 6 жыл бұрын

Such an awesome adventure trying to find an unknown piece of history. So lucky you knocked at that guys door. His reaction was moving. Amazing you found the 2nd stupa.

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you, Evelyne! I appreciate your comment and agree with you that the elder gentleman's reaction was priceless 😀

@cstain742 6 жыл бұрын

i liked the adventurous feel to this! You should do more of these, finding unknown places kind of videos!

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Ha! I'd love to, although I must say that it's hard to consistently find unknown places because, well...they're unknown!! 😂😂

@JayrambatiSarada Ай бұрын

Being one of the ardent students of Aurel Stein, adventures and ancient structures, I was so happy to see your success in discovering the Sirkip structure. Thanks for the efforts.

@JasonBechtelTeaches 6 жыл бұрын

That was awesome!!! What a nice little adventure you had! I love the shot where the drone sees the stupa in the distance, and then descends slowly, making it clear to the viewer that you'd never know it was there just a few blocks away if you were at street level. Very cool use of modern technology for exploration. And I loved the positive experience you got out of approaching the guy who grew up next to the first tower. Truly priceless. Thank you for sharing this story with us.

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much, Jason! I'm glad to know you enjoyed the video as much as I enjoyed putting it together 😀

@metasu6931 3 жыл бұрын

As a video game developer, this video helps me immensely in my research. Thanks for the fantastic video!

@adkh5826 6 жыл бұрын

Definitely a real life Indiana Jones! Great find and thanks for sharing!

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

My pleasure, thanks for watching and commenting!

@sabinereynaudsf 3 жыл бұрын

I love these videos. I wish Josh were still making videos today.

@joab-preferredpopcorn5424 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for capturing our Turpan adventure so clearly. What a gift to be able to join you on the adventure!

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for coming along! You did great as a cameraman 😉

@syncmaster915n 6 жыл бұрын

Wow that's so cool, man! You may well be the first westerner who had set sight again on that Buddhist tower in almost 100 years.

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

I'm not sure about that...but it's definitely not an often-visited place :)

@supratrd900 6 жыл бұрын

This is beautiful Josh. It's nice to see these ancient Buddha architect. It really shows Ancient Uyghur and their believes before the arrival of Islam.

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

I appreciate it! 😉

@ChasingEverywhere 6 жыл бұрын

That opening was absolutely adorable! Your son is so excited for you. I adore your voice, you're a total natural and so easy to listen to. You narrate so well! Love the editing style with the b roll and narration. The video moves very fluidly. How exciting to explore something undiscovered, every adventurers dream! So exciting to find the second tower! Awesome drone footage with the birds flying in the corner too!

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I appreciate your kind words and happy to hear that you enjoyed my son - he definitely loves being a part of my videos 😂

@tw2486 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you Josh, very interesting. We've been to the far west of China about 4 times and we are going again with a group of friends in October. We will be Turpan and Gaocheng again. We will definitely check out the tower you mention your video. Your Far West China has been very useful for our journeys. My husband and I are a very keen supporters of the Dunghuang Mogao Caves. We take small group of friends from UK to Western China to raise funds for the conservations of the caves. We take about 2-3 weeks travelling to Dunghuang and all round the Silk Road. This time, we are entering China via Bishkek. We will be using your book as reference. Thank you.

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

That's great! I love the Mogao Caves and the story behind their discovery. I hope you have a wonderful trip in October!

@TheTravelBugBite 6 жыл бұрын

I just love your son in the intro! Is he as adventurous as you are? It's crazy that the stone is all remains of the tower. It's great that you made the most of it anyway and discovered such a cool family. So great that you got to hear about it from a person and unique perspective! Thanks so much for sharing :)

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

He does love to travel around with me - as he gets older I hope to get him more and more involved with my videos 😉

@rogerunderhill4267 6 жыл бұрын

Professional standard investigative documentary. Excellent.

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much, Roger! I'm glad you enjoyed it :)

@DaveOnArrival 6 жыл бұрын

FUN! I love discoveries like this. Forgotten parts of history. I'm sure China is full of them.

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Especially out here in Xinjiang, where the Silk Road left plenty of ancient buildings/ruins to explore :)

@TravellingK 6 жыл бұрын

Great video and really really well edited. I like that you searched for the old unknown tower. Fascinating. Glad you found one!

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you! It was a fun adventure.

@gearsau 6 жыл бұрын

Josh..... Excellent video. They are getting better and better all the time

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you, Peter! I'm trying to improve every week 😀

@auraledgereal 3 жыл бұрын

Amazing historical place. I'm exited!

@ThisWayUpTravel 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much Josh. Loving the output of your channel. Big fan of learning more of the silk road, history and the western China culture of what you cover! Keep at it my friend! I hope the cultural heritage can be preserved just that little bit longer so people like you can preserve it here. So agree with the Indiana Jones thoughts, love the adventuring of big screen/books pushing me to more adventures.

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

My pleasure! Glad you enjoy the historical/cultural side of these videos. I mean, I love doing "travel videos" but the reality is that I'm more attracted to the history and culture of this place than the fact that I get to *travel*.

@ThisWayUpTravel 6 жыл бұрын

I know what you are saying, I like to read up about the history and then go to the place see the sights I've read about. If you like the history of central asia and silk road, I recommend the book The Silk Roads: A New History of the World by Peter Frankopan

@theaaronzhu 6 жыл бұрын

Amazing! I don't even know there being such a well preserved Buddhist tower in Uyghur area

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Well now you know! 😂

@loyosong7588 6 жыл бұрын

Definitely the most exciting episode I have ever watched! As a Buddhist myself this is truly worth watching!

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed. Thanks for watching and commenting!

@mnunezhk 4 жыл бұрын

as a Buddhist please pray for the Tibetans. China has been oppressing and colonizing them for YEARS

@flydriveexplore 6 жыл бұрын

A really interesting video, we love your delivery and enthusiasm. It felt like a real adventure and it's good to know there are still some undiscovered or forgotten place out there.

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you! It was an enjoyable adventure and I'm glad that showed as you watched. I appreciate the comment.

@Familytravelgo 6 жыл бұрын

You are like Indiana Jones lol ! Good job at exploring! That drone was pretty handy to have! Love this video!

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

I LOVE having a drone to fly around. It makes all the difference.

@AllAboutFamilyTravel 6 жыл бұрын

What an amazing story and the amazing level of determination and persistence to find this ancient tower. I suggest that you contact right people from Hollywood and who knows may be you will become a star in next "Indiana Jones". Since I grew up in Almaty which is fairly close to Turpan and Urumqi and my Dad and my brother have visited that region before, watching this video brought back a lot of good memories from my childhood.

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

I'm glad the video brought back some good memories for you! As much as I'd like to dream, I'm pretty sure Hollywood wouldn't be too interested in me as Indiana Jones 😂😂

@myfamilytravelzone3936 6 жыл бұрын

Great story about silk road towers. You really are like Indiana Jones :) Great idea to find a tower with the Drone. Thank you for a great video.

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Ha! Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it.

@Gideonblade Жыл бұрын

Just chance upon this. Great travelog. Thanks for sharing.

@edwardbadlands8621 6 жыл бұрын

Cool video thanks for sharing!

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

My pleasure! Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for watching/commenting!

@kzim56 6 жыл бұрын

Wonderful storytelling! We're visiting Xinjiang next month and looking forward to similar adventures.

@TheMapRoom 6 жыл бұрын

This is a really great video! Wonderful find!

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you! It was fun to put this together 😀

@GermanBackpacker 6 жыл бұрын

Never heard of this place, thanks so much for showing it to us!

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

My pleasure! Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment.

@geophx 6 жыл бұрын

Interesting. Thank you for your curiosity and perseverance and sharing your findings, and son, with us. Great use of technology demonstrated. Keep up the good work Josh.

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

My pleasure. Thanks so much for watching and commenting!

@seanbond123 6 жыл бұрын

Excellent video mate. Really well produced and very well presented.

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you, Sean. Much appreciated.

@IanSNewton 6 жыл бұрын

Josh you are unbelievable, love your passion for life and sharing with us your experiences. Thank you so much. Ian

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

+Ian Newton Ha! You are too kind, Ian. Thanks so much and I'm glad you get to enjoy it as well.

@GLOBIK 6 жыл бұрын

Damn! Watching this video reminded me how much I need to study and improve my Mandarin! My adventures and videos would benefit so much from it.

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Any improvement in language is a good thing!

@MrGod47 6 жыл бұрын

Nice! You really deserve more views.

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks! If I get more views, that's great. Thankfully, though, I do this because I enjoy it. 😂

@CoolMalim 6 жыл бұрын

excellent work.

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you. :)

@GLOBIK 6 жыл бұрын

Great video! It's funny, I was just thinking that the tower was not really that impressive, but it must have been a really fun and interesting adventure... And then you said it yourself! I just subscribed by the way.

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@KingTolentino 6 жыл бұрын

that place really looks remote.... awesome adventure 😎👌

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

It was fun to discover! 😂

@mr.u6021 6 жыл бұрын

I loved this video thanks for showing Uyghur heritage and I wish you to point out Uyghur name of the places not the dictated chinese translated names. Hope to see more videos from you. Wish best of luck !

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks! I believe that the names have been given both in Uyghur and Chinese here.

@bringinguptheparks8919 6 жыл бұрын

What an amazing video!!! Do they still use it in any way? It looks like it's actually well-preserved!

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

No, they don't. In fact, they don't really know what to do with it, so they've just fenced it off to make sure that the locals don't take the mud for fertilizer such as happened to the earlier stupa I visited.

@hymjets 6 жыл бұрын

Great excursion, phenomenal footage taken by mavic

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

I love my Mavic Pro!!! 😉

@walterabral4753 6 жыл бұрын

nice incorporated Hollywood style music score to intensify the adventurous mood haha.

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Perhaps a little over the top, but I felt like it fit 😂

@Clara-wg7zo 6 жыл бұрын

Excellent video! And it was an amazing place, I hope I will going to visit someday. Btw I was living in Karamay.

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Yes, I love Karamay as well - my old "home".

@yananneteoh9818 6 жыл бұрын

Good job, Josh Summers. When watching the Silk Road journeys Parts 1-12, one of the best, I'd been wondering what happened the Buddhist cities all over the Silk Road and in deserts, that had 'vanished.' How did they just vanish? I was sure there must be relics and manuscripts giving clues to their history... now it's said Aurel Stein stole a lot of manuscripts which might contain the history of that region! I hope you'll keep going, finding more buried d and vanishing cities. Thank goodness you'd found one tower and it seems a protected place. Hope you keeping looking for the vanished Buddhist cities and their history; and oh, look into the manuscripts taken to London too. Hope to see more of your amazing blogs. Thank you.

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks Anne! There's a lot of interesting history out here. I recommend you read the book "Foreign Devils on the Silk Road" by Peter Hopkirk. Very fascinating.

@yananneteoh9818 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks, Josh. I'll get Peter Hopkirk's "Foreign Devils on the Silk Road." It'd be fantastic if the author traces the foreign devils back to the time of the vanishing Buddhist centres. I've learnt so much amazing geography and ancient history from your blogs... keep them coming. I'm watching, "China's Ancient Engineering Secrets Documentary 2017," led by a team of academics and published 19 Oct 2017 which means it's just out. Watch if you can... beautiful wood and scientific Chinese geo-engineering that resist earthquakes up to 10.5! BTW, your photo of the huge Buddhist stone stupa reminds me of he Buddhas in the Bamiyan Valley of Afghanistan. 1691 views 37 2 SHARE

@nicolasgoldring7128 6 жыл бұрын

It's amazing how you are able to find places that are nearly entirely concealed from society! You truly are the real life Indiana Jones, and you have discovered the 色尔克普塔 in the flesh! 😁

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks, Nicolas!

@chiewmaria425 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing the video. You are really adventurous. Your son is so cute

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you! This video was fun to shoot and edit 😉

@japankofun 6 жыл бұрын

Great stuff, those are exactly the kind of sites I seek out in China. We've probably read some of the same books about those Silk Road explorers ;-) Shame the first tower is all but gone, but I'm definitely out to find the other one when I travel there next year, found it on google maps now. Stupid question maybe, especially after seeing you do so yourself in this video, but can I get by with speaking Mandarin throughout Xinjiang ? Am I generally going to be understood in most places around the province ? Thanks.

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Awesome! I’m glad you enjoyed. Yes, you should be understood for he most part. When you get out into these small villages, only the younger generation (21 and under) usually speaks Mandarin well, but it’s still possible to get around.

@japankofun 6 жыл бұрын

Great, thanks for that.

@khust2993 2 жыл бұрын

I hope I can visit Xinjiang someday, such a very interesting place

@nuriyerahman7200 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you Josh. I've never been there and will go next time for sure when I go to see my dady.😊

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

So your dad lives in Turpan?

@nuriyerahman7200 6 жыл бұрын

Travel Xinjiang: Far West China non, he lives in Ürümchi. Wish you a nice beginning of the week.

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

You too!

@saigonpunkid 6 жыл бұрын

Sad to hear that Sirkip tower is no more.

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Yea, I know. I was sad to find that out as well. I had high hopes.

@ilyasnopchenko2886 6 жыл бұрын

So cool. :) But you make me want to return to Xinjiang. :)

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Ha! I hope you get a chance to.

@jacobnoor6992 6 жыл бұрын

Hey Nice video , I had been several times there, but didn't see those. I visited Idiqut palace , and first impression and thought was why they didn't built these by stones, something like hard that lasts long coz all we saw remainings are about to disappear day by day due to rain , wind and other affects ....

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

I don't know if I know what Idiqut palace is? Also, I don't think stones are easy to find out there, whereas this mud clay is quite easy to find in Turpan.

@walterabral4753 6 жыл бұрын

Also that drone...damn u used it like it was nothing...technology is amazing haha.

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Haha! Thanks, Logan.

@eefwouters5603 6 жыл бұрын

Oh!,, how much I would like to be in your shoes! Even though you are not Indiana Jones or not as good looking as Harrison Ford (which is true by the way 😉). Keep up the good work Josh!

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Ha! Thanks, Eef 😉

@user-gm8xc7ep2k 6 жыл бұрын

宝宝真可爱！！！

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

谢谢！😂

@wbyoung4280 6 жыл бұрын

i've been there!

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Awesome! Did they actually let you in?

@Najiharbi 6 жыл бұрын

hahahah cute boy god bless him السلام عليك

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I think so too 😂😂

@nursaraarai4561 4 жыл бұрын

你好！

@0oeddmano0 6 жыл бұрын

Hi Josh, i just came back from Turpan 10 days ago.. i agree it is a beautiful place... unfortunately when exploring villages i was repeatedly stoped by the police... telling me foreigners couldn't enter villages and walk around. You don't seem to have these problems... how did you do?

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Hmm...not sure. I didn't have any problems and I think that might be because I was on a road that usually heads to mostly tourist destinations. I also use a local driver that has good connections and is known for taking tourists around. I've had my share of troubles, don't get me wrong, but Turpan usually isn't too bad.

@tenzinwoiser5886 5 жыл бұрын

i wish it could be replicated

@FarWestChina 5 жыл бұрын

You mean rebuilt? I think there's plenty of that in China...I just wish there were more old photos available.

@ziak4411 6 жыл бұрын

people are smart in different ways. the guy in the movie probably have no idea that these towers existed, but YOU found it.

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

He knew they existed but he hadn't seen it since he was a young kid. Crazy!

@wuwu1884 6 жыл бұрын

很好的视频不过航拍时间再长一点就好了

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

+wu wu 哈哈😄 谢谢🙏

@sixdegreeable 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the vid. Does it mean either Uighurs were originally Buddhists or they killed off the Buddhists?

@rogerunderhill4267 6 жыл бұрын

When Ghengis Khan conquered asia, the middle east and eastern europe, he wanted to forcibly convert all the muslims to Buddhism. He asked a Buddhist monk if he should and the monk said no and that people should come to buddhism of their own accord. Wisdom.

@guyp9596 5 жыл бұрын

Roger Underhill well he made a big mistake, he should convert all of them to Buddhism

@user-xr6kw1ov5b 2 жыл бұрын

@@rogerunderhill4267 Буддизм вроде как из индии пришёл в УйгурЛанд

@whanppp2095 3 жыл бұрын

Uighur 😢🤲

@eddiegerahty3454 4 жыл бұрын

No. You are very handsome!

@mnunezhk 4 жыл бұрын

FREE TIBET. FREE UYGHURS

3 жыл бұрын

You look familiar

@sherinchush7889 6 жыл бұрын

At 03:36, 这个塔，你看过了没有？It's not the way Chinese speak and even not the way Uyghurs do. Well-educated Uyghurs will use the polite form of the second pronoun, i.e. siz (您), when they talk to a stranger. If you had said, "这个塔，您见过吗？" that would've been much better and sounds polite.

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the correction, as always. I realize I'm not a fluent speaker but I get by.

@sherinchush7889 6 жыл бұрын

Western tourists or expats are much more welcome in Xinjiang than Han Chinese counterpart. The reason why it takes place is too obvious to explain. Some of brainwashed local Chinese might be a little bit afraid of western expats since people from the free world are often stigmatized in an indirect manner by the regime as potential espionage who are trying to subvert it. But Uyghurs usually perform differently. So, the immersion experience in Xinjiang doesn't aid the expats in learning Chinese.

@ssgcd 6 жыл бұрын

念经念经越念越穷

@originalideas9617 6 жыл бұрын

Raiders of the Lost Ark : Don't Bring Knife to a Gun Fight. Haha, are your kids still in China?

@FarWestChina 6 жыл бұрын

Listen, I don't mind you commenting (although I delete any of your comments that use profanity), but based on the quality of your comments, the likelihood of me giving you any personal details of me and my kids is pretty slim.

@originalideas9617 6 жыл бұрын

I am American loving CHinese culture. take it easy. dude.